Mostly Byler Ft. Gravity Rush

lesbian

gay

bisexual

transgender

queer

pansexual

demisexual

ace

hopeless romantics

cis-men

cis-women

non binary folks

the whole spectrum etc…

As a woman of color, I also find this argument incredibly tone deaf, because it's the same bullshit defense people of color hear whenever we push for more representation in mainstream media. "Just go watch another movie or show with POC characters. Never mind that you don’t like the genre or plot of those stories or don’t feel invested in the characters, or that even if you do find something you love, it’s more likely to get cancelled early or receive far less visibility and support than other media. You should be grateful to have any representation at all." It reinforces the idea that marginalized people should stay confined to media made specifically for them instead of expecting to be treated like they also belong in the mainstream or believing they deserve the same abundance and variety of representation as everyone else.

True progress ceases the moment we accept bare minimum corporate compliance as genuine inclusion. It's not greedy or unreasonable to want creators to meaningfully acknowledge marginalized people's existence, especially on a show like Stranger Things that marketed itself as a safe space "for freaks and outcasts". That's all Bylers were asking for: acknowledgment of the queer coding the Duffers chose to incorporate into Mike's character (the shippers didn't make them do that; we weren't on set or in the writers' room, and a lot of us didn't even start shipping Byler until they chose to write in the Cyrano trope). Most of us were even willing to settle for a last-minute plot twist, although it likely would've been narratively unsatisfying, because at least it would've been an acknowledgement that queer people come in all shapes and sizes and even a seemingly straight boy like Mike could be gay or bisexual. That would've been a really powerful message to send the audience, much more impactful than the tired trope of unrequited gay love.

Also, I loved Rovickie (for the measly 10 minutes of Netflix's gay screentime quota their relationship was permitted to exist in canon) and I agree that there's a valid argument to be made about the scarcity of lesbian representation even within queer media and fandom, but we also have to consider the historical context of this particular show. Stranger Things is set in the 1980s, an era that was uniquely dangerous and hostile for gay men. So while the inclusion of Robin and Vickie is equally meaningful and important, it was absolutely imperative that Will be given a thoughtful, well-crafted storyline, especially considering the specific trauma he experienced. Instead, his arc was largely sidelined, and the writers still did his character a profound injustice even if you take Byler completely out of the equation (but regardless of how anyone feels about the ship, Will's relationship with Mike was still integral to his narrative, given that his sexuality arc was directly tied to his feelings for him, making it objectively important to give that storyline a meaningful resolution).